Inherited klipsch

[Skeman]

I’ve inherited a set of klf-10 and a pair of klipschorne speakers. I’ve got the klipschorne set up to the side of my couch in corners, it’s the only place they will fit in my house. Not being used to the full potential I know. I have Polk RTI 12 as front L&R should I replace them with the klf-10s? I will keep the klipschorne, but considering disconnecting them and storing them for now. Help!

[Thaddeus Smith]

You should replace the Polk with the Klipschorns. Rearrange your living room if you have to. Sticking them unused into storage would be a travesty to your ears.

[rebuy]

While the Polks are a fine speaker The Khorns will be so much better.

Your Polks being a very large speaker, require gobs of power to sound their best.

It's just the opposite for the Klipsch.  

You'll need to get them set up and experiment a little until

you start to get used to their sound so you can dial them into the room

to sound their best.

They're horn loaded Bass--The Polks are Direct Bass.

There is a difference--give it time.

[wvu80]

44 minutes ago, Skeman said:

I’ve got the klipschorne set up to the side of my couch in corners, it’s the only place they will fit in my house.

Can you provide a picture?

 

If you're saying what I think you're saying, the Khorns belong in corners.  It's how they were designed and how they work best.

[fuzzydog]

Are you using Klipschorns for surround duty with your Polks upfront?  

[garyrc]

 

IMO, when switching between two well designed speakers, you should gain something and lose something  when hearing each speaker.  The Klipschorns should have much more dynamic range, cleaner attack, and sound "bigger" with some program material.  The Polks may go down a little deeper in the bass, but with a very good subwoofer crossing over at about 35 to 40 Hz for music, and 80 Hz for movies, the Klipschorns should be, generally, "better." 

 

How far apart are the corners?

 

I'd turn the couch so it faces the Klipschorns (in their corners).

 

Are the corners solid, i.e., firm? 

 

The Klipschorns need to be pushed all the way into the corners.

 

The capacitors may need to be replaced, but play the Klipschhorns for a few weeks to a few months without doing so.  Mine sounded fine for about 22 years with AA networks, and were still sounding fine when I replaced the networks to get the new design. The new networks are now 13 years old, and still going strong!

 

As @rebuy says, there is a difference between direct radiators like the Polks and fully horn loaded speakers like the Klipschorns.  The Khorns would have much lower modulation distortion, and a 100 watt amplifier into the Khorns would be as powerful, in Sound Pressure Level ("loudness"), as at least  a 1,000 watt amplifier into the Polks (under ideal conditions, the Khorns with 100 watts would equal 3,200 watts into the Polks; the sensitivity of the Polks is 90dB at 1W at 1M, and the Khorns 105 dB at 1W at 1M if they are placed in good corners, providing plenty of boundary gain.  As you may know, every 3 dB increase in sensitivity is like doubling the amplifier power).  In my 4,000 cu.ft.+ room, I get a little more than movie Reference peaks (105 dB) from only one of the (front) Klipschorns running with 16 watts input.  That's with the Khorns set for "small," which, counter-intuitively, is the correct setting for both the Khorns and the Polks, when using a good subwoofer.